


Repairing a Lost Soul

by d0mesticbliss



Category: Battlestar Galactica (2003)
Genre: F/M, Rodama, spaceparents
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-08-25
Updated: 2015-09-21
Packaged: 2018-04-17 06:35:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 8,878
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4656369
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/d0mesticbliss/pseuds/d0mesticbliss
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Caprica AU. While staying in her family's cabin for the next few weeks, Laura Roslin finds Bill Adama and his two sons, Lee and Zak, on her doorstep.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. New Faces, Old Places

**Author's Note:**

> Songspiration: Dear No One by Tori Kelly
> 
> “I like being independent… but sometimes I just want somebody to hold… got that young love even when we’re old… I will love you till the end… but I’m done looking for my future someone ‘cause when the time is right you’ll be here but for now, DEAR NO ONE , this is your love song”

Laura always loved coming up here a few weeks out of the summer. It’s a little place tucked in the mountains with a stream running nearby into a little lake - it’s water so clear, it’s like looking through glass. Her place. Her cabin. It may not look like much - a single story, wooden structure - but to her, it was everything. Besides, there was so much one couldn’t see from the front. She had a large backyard housing a pond with steps one can use to step across the water. The balcony connected to her room had a small gate to access this extra space. At the edge of the pond was a bench that overlooked the horizon. It was ideal to watch the sun rise and set above Caprica City. Closer to the city and the school where she taught 2nd grade, Laura had a small house she liked just fine, but she loved her cabin. She loved how she felt secluded but always knew the city was beyond the horizon. The tips of the skyscrapers always managed to peek between the trees and could constantly be seen from the large glass windows that lined Laura’s bedroom. One of them was a sliding glass door that led to the balcony.

Sometimes at night, she would step out and bask in the rustling of the trees, the crisp, clean air, and the hum of wildlife hidden within the depths of the wood, eyes closed just absorbing the _life_ around her. She enjoyed the solitude serving as a break from the constant chaos of the classroom. She loved the children she worked with and wouldn’t trade it for the world, but gods, she could only take so much before she needed a break! Other times, she would lay in her bed, eyes wide open, staring up at the stars through her sky light. Loneliness didn’t really affect her, but during times like these, it hit her like a blow to the chest. It wasn’t usual to find a 30-year-old Caprican woman without a companion, and normally, Laura wasn’t phased by this. She worked full time with little bundles of joy all day, 5 days a week. Relationships weren’t a priority for her. Plus, when would she have the time to go find an eligible bachelor, anyway? Even still, the absence of having someone when she felt overwhelmed by grading her students’ work or holding her in a warm embrace haunted her sometimes. But as quickly as those insecurities surface, they disappear and she falls asleep, dreaming of the silhouette of a man she may never know.

~~~

Bill bent down to pick up yet another one of his sons’ Viper pilot action figures with a shake of his head. Lee and Zak were his lovely, hyper boys that seemed to have an endless supply of energy that he wished he could replicate just to keep up with them. Lee, at 7-years-old, was the older of the two who had a fascination for mystery books even at his early age. He always requested his father read him and his brother a mystery before bed. He said that he liked trying to solve it while falling asleep. Zak, at 4-years-old, couldn’t care less what he was being read at night. He loved sleeping which was rare for children his age. If ever asked why he liked sleep, he would say he likes to be up early to start playing as soon as possible. His favorite toys to play with were his and Lee’s Viper pilots. He and his brother would pretend they were the best captains on the fleet and protected the 12 Colonies together as a team.

Bill’s life revolved around his two children. He worked hard all week to pay the babysitter and provide for them, and sometimes, he even worked a little extra time so that he could have enough extra money to go toward something special - maybe that’s a new Viper Pilot action figure, or maybe it’s a movie night. He loved them more than anything, and would do anything for them. So, when Lee asked to see a new movie he’d seen through previews on the TV one night, Bill couldn’t say ‘no’, but he waited until dinner to give Lee a proper response.

“Tomorrow. How’s that sound?” Bill proposed at dinner.

Lee immediately understood what his father was referring to and nodded quickly with a big smile on his face. Zak, who would follow his brother anywhere, glanced at Lee and mimicked him. Bill replicated his sons’ smiles before sending them up the stairs to brush their teeth and get ready for bed. Bill stayed in the kitchen, gathered the leftover dishes, piled them in the sink, and began to hand wash them.

Without realizing it, he found himself staring out of the window above the sink, still scrubbing off the remaining food from the plate he had in hand. His eyes landed on the cherry tree he had planted when they first moved in. He had removed the wedding ring from his finger before plunging his hands in the soapy water. _Two years_ , Bill thought in his head, _it’s been two years since she left_.

It wasn’t the first time he’d wondered what it would be like to get back out there. Try to find someone who could love both him and the boys all the same as if his little family were hers too. He knew the boys were happy just having him, but he often pondered the thought of them having a mother again. And seeing their father happy with someone would help demonstrate healthy relationships for the two boys, right? His eyes were now back at his hands which were working on the last of the utensils.

“Dad! Are you coming!? Are we going to finish A Murder on Picon?” Lee shouted from the top of the stairs.

If only he knew how much Bill had to skip over due to child appropriateness.

Bill chuckled and dried his hands, “I’m coming, Lee.”

Before making his way up the stairs, Bill slid his ring onto his finger and turned off the kitchen lights.

~~~

It was 11:04 AM when Laura finally turned over to see the time. She’d already been awake for a while now but wasn’t feeling up to waking up fully. Sleeping in was one of the most glorious feelings Laura knew, but her internal clock was still consistent with her work schedule. Laura let out a huff in frustration as she lifted herself into a sitting position to stretch before walking to the bathroom. She took a quick shower, brushed her teeth, and got ready for an uneventful day: loose shorts, a T-shirt, no makeup, and a haphazard bun with several strands of hair refusing to be restrained. Her next stop was the kitchen. Laura walked past the spare bathroom and bedrooms to the central living room which led to her destination. She lightly tugged on the refrigerator door and peered at the empty space. She smacked her forehead lightly remembering that she neglected to get groceries the day before.

“How do you forget to buy food, Laura?” she chastised herself quietly.

Silently, she went through her options. She could go out and eat and then get groceries afterwards, or she could call for takeout and get groceries later. That’s a terrible idea, Laura thought, If you’re too lazy to get it now, you’ll never go out. She rolled her eyes at herself and made her way back to her room to change into more appropriate attire, trading her shorts for ankle-length jeans, keeping the T-shirt, touching up her face with some mascara, and re-doing her hair into a ponytail.

Now, she was ready to go, so she grabbed her purse and keys, locked the front door behind her, and jumped into her car.

~~~

“Dad! When are we leaving for Caprica City? When’s the movie? We’re still seeing it right?”

Lee’s onslaught of questions began (as they always did) when he woke up. These questions in particular were repeated every hour or so no matter how many times Bill assured his son they would be leaving at 2:30 PM, the movie was at 3:25 PM, and yes, they were still going. Zak was too busy playing with his Viper Pilots to notice his brother’s inquiry.

As Bill cooked the boys lunch, Lee’s questions surfaced once more, and he honestly didn’t know how much longer he could listen to his son repeat the same things over and over again. Before Lee could finish his sentence, his father cut him off saying, “Lee, if you ask me one more time, I will cancel this trip, and we will go another time. Understood?” With a quick nod, Lee closed his mouth and ran off to play with Zak and the Viper Pilots.

Once the food was ready, the two boys set the table like they’d been taught, and sat down at their places. Bill scooped some of the rice out of the pan for each of them, some for himself, and encouraged the two eager kids to dig in. By the time dishes were done, Bill glanced at the clock and saw the time: 2:25 PM.

“Everyone ready to go!?” Bill bellowed, knowing Lee and Zak were up in their room playing.

Almost immediately after Bill’s announcement, the sound of a door being swung open and two pairs of small feet stomping down the stairs filled his ears. He chuckled and shook his head as he led his boys out the door, locked it, and forgot to slip his cell phone into his pocket. The car’s engine roared to life.

~~~

Laura’s car bobbed along the gravel road toward her cabin, groceries (and maybe some clothes she hadn’t originally intended on buying) filling her back seat. The drive from Caprica City to her home wasn’t too long, but her car’s A/C was broken and it was frakking hot. When she finally pulled into the driveway, Laura practically shot out the window trying to get out of the enclosed space. She grabbed her groceries first and placed the perishables in the fridge. She didn’t want them to go bad from the intense humidity in her car and then the absence of a cool environment after that. Once finished, she went back out to bring in the bags of clothes, but before she brought them in, she saw something moving a bit further up the road. It looked like a car was pulled to the side of the road and two - no three - people, one adult and two children, were coming her way. She quickly threw the bags she had in her hands just inside the front door, closed it, and started walking toward them. As she got closer, she saw that the children were holding onto either one of the man’s hands. Laura met them at the end of her driveway.

“Hello,” the man greeted with one of the deepest voices Laura’s ever heard. She silently wondered if she looked as sweaty and gross as she felt. She really hoped not. This was just like meeting the parents’ of her students except a bit more nerve wracking. The man before her was muscular with olive skin and piercing blue eyes. Laura couldn’t help but feel a bit self-conscious in his presence, but with practiced composure, Laura smiled warmly and said, “Hello, is there something you need?” One of the children who looked the age of one of her students spoke before the man could, “Our car broke down, and my dad forgot his cell phone to call the towing people.” Laura’s smile grew more at the boy’s forwardness. The man was smiling too, and Laura couldn’t help but get a weird feeling in her stomach when she saw the upturn of his lips. It was a pleasant feeling, but weird nonetheless. “He speaks the truth,” the man confirms, “Do you mind if I borrow your phone to call a towing company?” He quickly removed his hand from the boy who just spoke to offer it to her, “I’m Bill. Adama.” Laura shook his hand replying with, “Laura. Roslin. Nice to meet you.”

“Nice to meet you, too,” Bill replied, “This,” he said pointing to the boy that educated her on their situation, “is Lee.” The boy enthusiastically waved his hand in greeting to Laura which she reciprocated while Bill continued to speak, “And this,” he now pointed at the other boy who slowly made his way behind the comfort of his father’s body, “is Zak.” Zak was much more shy than his brother. He looked at Laura from behind his father’s legs which Laura thought was adorable. Bill looked behind them at his car before speaking again, “We were on our way to Caprica City to go watch a movie when the car broke down. Usually, I can fix it and get it running again, but not this time, I guess.” With a nod of her head, Laura stepped back toward the entrance of her home, “Follow me.”


	2. May We Meet Again

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Laura helps Bill and his boys with their vehicle trouble.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Songspiration: Hello by Beyoncé
> 
> “You had me at ‘HELLO’”
> 
> I apologize because I wrote a typo in the last chapter that said Laura taught 1st grade, but she actually teaches 2nd grade! Sorry for the confusion! I hope you enjoy this chapter!

They walked up to the front porch where two benches were placed on either side of the front door. Laura reached for the doorknob but pulled back slightly. Bill sensed her uneasiness and tried to relieve it, “We can wait out here while you bring out the phone.” He smiled and she noticeably relaxed, wearing a smile Bill could only think of as beautiful. Laura opened the door, walked in, and closed the door behind her.

Bill, Lee, and Zak settled in on the bench to the right of the door. Lee snuggled into his father’s side while Zak sat on his father’s lap.

The wood was in really good shape as far as Bill could tell. Same goes for the cabin itself. The glass used for the windows was high quality, double-paned to keep in heat. The doorway was tall and wide - easier to move furniture in and out. The design was fairly simple, but he couldn’t say that for sure unless he looked at the entire house. If the contractor that built the cabin was as good as Bill thought, he’d probably have some surprises in the back of the house. Though from the outside the house looks small, he could see that the inside would have plenty of space. Being a contractor himself, observing other’s work came second-nature to Bill. Maybe he knew the man who worked on Laura’s home.

“She’s really nice,” Lee said, breaking the silence.

Bill’s smile returned as he nodded, “Yes, she is.”

“And really pretty!” Zak chimed in. Bill and Lee laughed causing Zak to blush and mumble a weak, “It’s true,” in his defense.

It was ridiculous how much Bill agreed with both his sons. When the car broke down and he couldn’t fix it, he wasn’t sure if they were going to find anyone willing to help them. People usually left for beaches or visited family on the other Colonies during the summer, and the ones who stayed didn’t want to be bothered. So when they came across Laura, who was kind and more than happy to help, it took him by surprise. It was just an added bonus that she was pretty easy on the eyes. _Gorgeous_ , Bill corrected himself. Her soft green eyes, wavy red hair - his thoughts were interrupted by the sound of the door opening and closing again. Bill’s focus was on Laura’s eyes a bit longer than he’d intended. He reached for the phone saying, “Thank you.”

Was he seeing things or were Laura’s cheeks flushed?

Bill trained his eyes on the phone, temporarily forgetting the number he was trying to call.

“It’s no problem at all,” he heard Laura reply.

He finished dialing the number but paused before pressing the ‘call’ button. Bill looked up at Laura and grinned while holding the phone to his ear. He pressed the button with his thumb.

~~~

 _This man!_ Laura thought. She hadn’t blushed like this for longer than she’d like to admit. She hoped it wasn’t as obvious as it felt.

She hadn’t wanted to leave them outside, but at the same time, she didn’t know these people. She taught her students to be aware of strangers at all times. What kind of example would she be setting if she disobeyed what she taught? And Bill could sense her hesitation which made Laura feel relieved.

Standing in front of Bill, his eyes on her and a grin on his face made her feel self-conscious, but a shrill voice called her attention away from the man in front of her.

“Laura! Come sit here!” Lee patted the bench next to him. Grateful for the distraction, Laura walked toward the boy, and sat down next to him. Bill’s eyes left her once she moved and the person on the other line picked up the phone. Zak burrowed a bit more into his father’s chest Laura noticed, and Bill’s arm that wasn’t around the phone instinctively pulled the boy closer. Laura looked down to Lee, and he looked up at her.

“You’re really nice, and my brother thinks you are pretty,” Lee said before blushing a bit, "I think you’re pretty, too.”

“You boys aren’t going to let this smile leave my face today, are you?” Laura asked, thankful she now had an excuse for the color on her cheeks. She looked between the two boys. Even though Zak was secured in his father’s embrace, she could see his face peeking out to see her. He was smiling - his eyes shining and crinkling a bit. Laura could hear the rumbling of Bill’s voice as he explained his situation to the other person on the phone.

“You two boys are fairly handsome yourselves. Did you get that from your father?”

Lee answered quickly, “A lot of people say I look like my dad and my brother Zak looks like my mommy - well, the people that knew my mommy. She died. But it’s okay because Dad loves me and Zak a lot and we know mommy did too.”

Laura could see Bill stiffen in his seat, and she immediately regretted her comment.

“Well,” Laura began attempting to soften the unintended blow she’d delivered, “your mommy must have been very beautiful to make you two boys.”

Lee nodded and Zak’s smile faded a little.

 _Change the subject,_ Laura, she warned herself.

“How old are you?”

Surprisingly, Zak was the first to react. He held up four of his fingers saying, “Four!”

Laura’s eyes found Zak’s as he wiggled in Bill’s hold, trying to escape and give his full attention to Laura.

She gave Zak her focus, “Wow! Four-years-old!”

Zak nodded enthusiastically, finally breaking through the arm he was secured in. Laura could sense Lee anxiously awaiting his turn to speak, and it made Laura want to giggle at his eagerness.

“Lee weally wants to talk to you,” Zak said with a smile and a little finger pointed in his brother’s direction.

Laura rubbed Zak’s arm comfortingly and turned to Lee, grinning.

“And how old are you, Lee?”

“I’m 7-years-old!” Lee nearly burst out, “I’m going to be in second grade. I have to go to a new school this year though, and that’s kinda scary to think about.”

Laura nodded in understanding, “It is scary to move to a new school, but you know what?” Lee tilted his head as Laura finished her thought, “I think you will fit in just fine! Just be you, and I think you will make a lot of friends.”

Lee’s grin surfaced once more as he looked back at Laura, “You think so?”

Laura’s eyes widened as she nodded again, “I _know_ so.”

Zak was listening to his brother and Laura speaking. She could tell he was a listener rather than a talker.

_He and his brother must balance each other out fairly well._

Before their conversation could carry on any further, Bill ended the call and handed Laura her phone back.

“Thanks again,” his blue eyes seemed duller than before, and she couldn’t help but feel guilty about unintentionally bringing up a sore subject, “We can go wait by the car now. The person they’re sending shouldn’t take longer than 15 minutes to get here.”

Laura nodded while Bill got up from the bench with Zak in his arms again, followed by Lee.

“Do you need anything else?” Laura asked before they descended the porch steps.

Bill turned to her, his blue eyes fixed on her green ones, and that smile he’d given her earlier was back as he replied, “We’re okay. But thank -“ Zak whispered something into Bill’s ear, and Bill recanted his earlier statement, “Actually, this guy needs to use your bathroom. Is that alright?”

“Of course! It’s the first door on the right, past the kitchen -” Laura lowered the finger she was using to point at the air and made a quick decision, “You know what? I can show you.”

She motioned for them to follow her inside the house once the door was opened, but Bill hesitated, “Are you sure? I know we’re strangers. I wouldn’t want you to feel uncomfortable.”

Laura shook her head and smirked, “Where else is he going to go?”

She pointed her head toward the door, and this time, Bill followed as she held open the door for them.

~~~

His earlier assumptions of the spacious interior were correct. Once inside, he found a large kitchen to the right with an island in the middle, and to the left was the living area with a big sectional sofa in front of the flat screen hanging from the wall. Somehow, this didn’t seem very “Laura” even to Bill who didn’t know the woman. He, Zak, and Laura walked just past the kitchen to the bathroom, where Bill set Zak down to take care of his business. Zak reached up and pulled the door shut with him, leaving Bill and Laura to wander back toward the kitchen. They found Lee holding a book gingerly (it was on the island as they’d walked in along with a pen and paper if he recalled correctly) and Bill immediately recognized the cover.

“Lee, this isn’t our home. Don’t touch other people’s things,” Bill gently reprimanded. Lee set the book back down on the island.

Instead of getting upset or angry about the fact that a child with possibly dirty hands touched her book, Laura just wore that smile of hers as she asked, “ _A Murder on Picon_. Aren’t you a little _young_ for this one?”

Lee shook his head with wide eyes, “ _No!_ Dad reads to me every night! I love mysteries. We just finished this one last night!”

Laura turned her head to Bill, still grinning, and Bill shrugged, leaning in closer to Laura’s ear, “I skip all the gruesome parts.”

As he pulled away, the sweet smell of her hair lingered in his senses.

Lee looked between the two adults, “What did he say, Laura?”

Laura easily dodged the question with one of her own, “Did you like the ending?”

“What?” Lee cocked his head to the side.

“The book,” Laura prompted, “Did you like the ending?”

A look of realization crossed the boy’s face, “Oh yeah! I loved it! I didn’t think the gardener did it! I thought the boyfriend did it for sure! The police found his knife there and he said he was home alone the day she was killed, and ahh!” Lee threw up his hands in emphasis, as he continued on about the way the gardener fled to his home colony of Tauron. Bill shook his head and found himself grinning for what seemed like the millionth time today.

How did the day something bad happened turn into the day Bill couldn’t keep a smile off his face?

He looked at Laura. She knew exactly how to distract the boy and change the subject. It was amazing and something he, as a parent, was still trying to perfect. He wondered how she had such a natural way with kids. She could get them to talk even if they were the most shy boy in the world, like Zak, or talk endlessly about random subjects with the most talkative boy, like Lee. He internally cringed about the way he reacted when Lee mentioned the death of Carolanne. He hoped Laura didn’t notice.

 _Laura,_ Bill said her name again in his head.

The door behind them opened, the sound of the toilet flushing was fading, and Zak came out of the room with still-damp hands from washing them. The conversation ceased between Laura and Lee - well, mostly Lee - and Bill turned back to Laura once Zak’s hand rested in his.

“Well, we better get going,” Bill started, “The guy should be here any minute now.”

Bill reached out his unoccupied hand, “Thank you.”

Laura shook it with her own, “Of course.”

Bill was about to take Lee’s hand and walk out the front door when he heard Laura scribble something onto the piece of paper he’d seen earlier on the island. He waited until she was done writing, and she handed him the paper. He met her eyes again after reading it, and she shrugged her shoulders.

“If you ever need help again, there’s my name and number.”

Bill released Zak’s hand for a moment to reach into his back pocket for his phone when he remembered what got him into this mess in the first place and reached for the other pocket that held his wallet. Opening it, he slipped the piece of paper inside and placed the wallet back in his jeans.

“Thank you. Again,” Bill chuckled reclaiming Zak’s hand and taking Lee’s in the other, “I owe you.”

Laura shook her head, “Nonsense. I’m happy to help.”

Bill nodded and the three boys started walking out the front door.

Lee turned around, waving with the hand not clasped in Bill’s, “Bye, Laura! It was nice to meet you!”

Zak mirrored his brother’s hand motion saying, “Bye!”

Then, they turned around and followed Bill to their car.

~~~

She waved back, but didn’t say anything. Once the two boys turned around, Laura walked over to her purse she’d discarded by the door earlier that day and grabbed her wallet and keys before stepping outside. _Wait._ She felt her front jeans pocket for her phone. _Okay, now I’m ready._

The two boys and their father were almost to the car when the tow truck arrived. She locked the door behind her, and stood by her car, watching as the man in the tow truck stepped out to do his job. Laura could see the two men conversing, and before long, Bill and the two boys were making their way back to her house. Laura was ready when they reached her.

“We can’t ride up in the front seat,” Bill began to explain, “How did you know?”

Laura shrugged her shoulders, “I’ve been in this situation a few times when my family car breaks down in the middle of nowhere. I know the drill.”

Bill nodded in understanding and rubbed the back of his neck, hesitant to ask for the favor she knew he needed, “Can we -”

Laura cut him off, “Get in.”

She smiled at him and the boys, and Bill’s face reflected both relief and reluctance.

“Don’t worry about it!” she reassured him. She strode over to the trunk to grab the car seats she had bought for her nephew whenever he visited, and brought them up to the back seat. One was a bit worn at the edges because he’d grown out of it, but it was still safe and secure. As she was placing them into the car, Bill insisted he install them for her, “You’ve done so much.” She extracted herself from the back seat and let him take over, “Whatever you say.”

The two boys made their way over to Laura, Zak following Lee.

“Do you have kids, too, Laura?” Lee curiously asked.

Laura let out a chuckle, “No, but I have a nephew who likes to hang out with his aunt.” As an afterthought, Laura added, “Unless you count the 34 children I teach in Caprica City.”

Bill finished fastening the second seat and got out of the car, “You’re a teacher?”

Laura nodded, focusing her attention on Bill, “Yes, I teach 2nd grade. What do you do?”

“I’m a contractor. I work on houses, mostly.”

“Is that so?” Laura smiled, “Are we set?”

“Ready to go,” Bill replied.

“Then, let’s go! Everybody in the car!” Laura urged, opening Lee’s door for him, “Do you need help buckling up?”

Lee nodded in response as Laura strapped him in. When she was done, she patted him on the chest and said, “All done.”

Lee grinned, and Laura looked to Zak who was already strapped in and giving her a thumbs up. Bill sat in the passenger seat and pulled the seatbelt on and she did the same.

After making sure her passengers were all settled in, Laura started the car, and pulled out of her cabin’s driveway.

~~~

“My air conditioner’s broken, so you might want to roll down the windows before you bake like a pastry,” Laura joked.

Lee and Zak giggled, and a hint of a smirk appeared on Bill’s face. He couldn’t remember the last time they had laughed and smiled this much. It was all thanks to Laura. Bill rolled down his window as well as Zak’s.

“Can you roll yours down on your own, Lee?” Bill questioned. Lee nodded and pushed the button until the wind blew through his hair. He giggled when the air started pulling his eyes shut and fumbled with button to roll the window back up a touch. Zak’s giggles joined Lee’s.  Bill turned to see Laura who was suppressing her own laugh.

_She must have looked in the rear view mirror and seen what happened._

“Did you see that, Dad?” Lee squealed.

Bill chuckled looking back at his son, “Yes, I did. You’re so funny.”

More giggles filled the air at Bill’s comment. Bill faced forward again and found that they were nearing the city. If he wanted to learn more about their driver, his time was running out.

“Laura,” Bill said to get her attention. Her eyebrows rose at her name letting him know she was listening.

“What brings you up to the mountains? Everytime we pass by that cabin of yours, it looks empty.”

“It’s my family’s vacation home,” she explained, “I usually come up here for a week or two during the summer when I’m not teaching. It’s a lot quieter than the city.”

_That explains the non-Laura like decor._

Laura took a breath before asking a question of her own, “You and the boys live up here?”

“Yeah,” Bill paused, pondering whether or not he should mention the reason why they moved from the city but decided against it, “We moved here a couple years ago for the same reason: the quiet. Though, these two don’t keep it that way.”

At that, Laura smirked and nodded while the two boys guiltily shrugged their shoulders.

“I understand. Imagine having 34 of them in the same room and trying to teach them addition. It’s ridiculous.”

Bill couldn’t imagine.

“How do you do it?”

“What? Teach them addition?” Laura laughed, but within an instant, she was serious, “In all honesty, my students are very cooperative and easy to take care of. I’ve been very fortunate to have such well-behaved classes for the past six years.”

They were now in the city, 10 minutes away from the automobile repair shop where Bill’s car was being worked on.

“Dad,” Lee said, “are we going to see the movie?”

The movie!

“Lee… we might have to go some other time.”

Lee’s face immediately started to droop, and Bill knew the face he was going to pull next. It was a look that nearly always assured him what he wanted.

“Lee,” Bill warned, but Lee did not listen. His bottom lip protruded out in a practiced pout and his eyes started to water. Where the kid had an endless supply of tears stumped Bill. Looking over at Laura, Bill could see that she was having an internal struggle as well.

“What do you do when one of your students gives you one of these looks?”

Laura shook her head, “No look can compare to the one your son is capable of giving.”

Bill sighed in response.

“Am I driving you all to the movie theater then? It’s not a far walk from the theater to the auto repair shop. You’ll have to kill some time anyway.”

Lee’s face lit up at Laura’s words, but fell again at his father’s response, “No, I still need to talk to the mechanic to see how much time he needs,” then lit up once more, “and _then,_ we can walk to the theater.”

“YAY! THANK YOU, DAD!” Lee exclaimed. Zak clapped his hands a few times saying, “YAY!”

Within a few minutes, they arrived at the shop, and it was time to part ways with Laura. She put the car in park and Bill got out of his seat to unbuckle the boys. Once Lee’s door was shut, the three walked over to Laura’s window which she had rolled down the rest of the way. Bill stooped lower to see her face.

“Thank you again. It would’ve been a disaster had you not helped us.”

With a shake of her head, Laura replied, “It really is no problem. As I said before, I’m happy I could help.”

“It was nice meeting you, Laura!” Lee blurted. Zak nodded in agreement. Both had wide grins on their faces.

Laura smiled and looked at the two boys, “It was nice to meet you, too. Both of you.” Looking up at Bill, Laura added, “And you.”

Bill returned her smile, and she rolled up her window to it’s previous position.

 _May we meet again,_ Bill thought to himself. When her car was out of view, he took his sons’ hands and led them into the shop.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoy this chapter! I'll probably update twice a week, but I'll try to update as often as possible!


	3. And We Meet Again

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Laura leaves the cabin and prepares her classroom for the new school year while Bill takes the boys into town for school's Registration Day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Songspiration: Say by John Mayer
> 
> Knowing you’d be better off instead if you could only SAY what you need to say

It’s been a two weeks since she’d last seen Bill.

Laura wasn’t the type of woman who doubted herself, but in that moment, she wondered if she’d been too forward with that man. Maybe she’d read the situation wrong and shouldn’t have given him her number. She shook her head and closed her eyes, whispering to herself, “Don’t be ridiculous, Laura.” She was leaving the cabin today, and she couldn’t help but feel like she was, in some weird way, leaving Bill behind as well. What were the chances of her running into him in the city? He lived out here, and she lived in there.

Laura mentally chastised herself while pushing herself off the kitchen island to wash her coffee cup in the sink. After drying off the cup and placing it in the cabinet, Laura began to wheel her bags out to the car, unable to shake the thoughts of Bill and his two adorable sons out of her head. Last suitcase in hand, Laura used her right hand to lock the door but the key fell with a light thump against the wood decking.

“ _Frak_ ,” Laura cursed under her breath.

She bent down, letting go of the suitcase to steady her purse on her shoulder and retrieved the key from the boards. This time, the key slipped into the lock and twisted into place before being slid into Laura’s pocket. She sighed as she briskly walked toward the trunk of her car. She hefted the case into the car along with the other two she’d packed earlier and closed the compartment before making her way to the front seat. She laid her purse in the passenger seat and buckled the seat belt. About to pull out of the driveway, Laura huffed and leaned her head against the headrest, closing her eyes.

“Why does this bother me so much? I don’t even know him!” Laura protests out loud. Her eyes were open now, head still against the headrest.

 _But I know some things,_ her mind countered, _like the deep blue of his eyes, the love he feels for his sons, the hesitance to accept my help even when I was clearly offering it to him -_

“I’m clearly going insane,” Laura laughed to herself with dry humor, breaking her thought strand.

But even as she drove away toward the city, Bill’s face snuck it’s way into her thoughts every now and again.

~~~

He is an idiot. Bill sits on a stool by his island, holding an empty mug of coffee in his hands. For the 300th time in the past two weeks, Laura Roslin enters his thoughts, and he wants to kick himself for not doing a damn thing about it. He supposed he could call her “for help”, but something stopped him every time he reached for the phone. He didn’t know what it was. He looked out toward the cherry tree in his front yard, and then he looked toward the ring on his finger.

 _It’s been two years, Bill,_ he tells himself, _it’s time to move on._

Perhaps that was what was holding him back. Then again, maybe it was because it’s been so long since he’s been in the dating scene. When he and Carolanne got married, he thought for sure he’d never be in this position again. He never thought he’d ever see a woman that carried around so much _promise with her._ It was undeniable the connection they felt for each other, but it wasn’t only that - the way she was with Lee and Zak made him want to melt. The father in him felt overjoyed. However, that fact also made him hesitant. He couldn’t expose his boys to another loss.

 _How will the boys ever have a mother-figure in their life if you don’t leap and take that chance?_ Bill challenged himself.

“Dad!?” Lee’s voice unsurprisingly echoed from the top of the stairs.

“Yeah, Lee?” Bill replied, slowly getting up from the island and going over to the sink, setting the mug into the basin.

Lee’s heavy footfalls followed by slightly less heavy footsteps belonging to Zak came bustling down the stairs until the two boys scrambled up onto two of the stools on the island.

“So…” Lee started, squirming a bit in his seat.

Bill crossed his arms prepared for his son to admit to breaking that vase he’d found in pieces the other day, “You can say it, Lee.”

Lee stopped his movement and glanced at Zak before focusing back on his father, “Do you remember that nice lady who helped us?” He lowered his voice to ask Zak a question, “What was her name, Zak?”

“Laura,” Zak replied almost immediately.

Her name brought all the mixed emotions he’d felt seconds earlier back again in full force. If he was being honest, Bill couldn’t believe the two remembered her - not that he didn’t understand. It was amazing how much he still remembered. He remembered the beautiful red curls that had been restricted by a hair tie to the back of her head, the green eyes that shone brightly against the lighter complexion of her skin, and the ease with which she had spoken to him and his children. He kinda missed that. He kinda missed her.

Bill cleared his throat, “We have to get you two signed up for school. Class starts next week.”

The subject change worked.

The two boys’ faces lit up, and Bill grinned at the sight of them rejoicing because of a new school year. He knew that in a couple years, that joy would be replaced with groans and faces of disgust.

“Really, Dad?” Lee smiled and took Zak by the hands. They hopped off the stools together and proceeded to jump up and down. They giggled and Bill chuckled reaching inside the drawer in the island, searching for the video camera.

This year, Bill decided to start recording little moments of the boys and occasionally himself in hopes that he could look back on these days in the future as if he were back here again.

He couldn’t wait to show this to the two boys when they were older - especially on the nights when their girlfriends came over. He finally grasped the handle of the camera and switched it on saying, “Lee! Zak! What are you so excited about?” They continued jumping, barely glancing at their father or the lens.

“SCHOOL!” they both laughed before collapsing on the couch.

Bill turned the camera to himself, “Wonder how they’re gonna feel about school a couple years from now.” He smiled and then switched off the camera, sliding it back into it’s place in the drawer.

Lee and Zak were now in the middle of a thumb war, and by the looks of it, Zak was actually beating his older brother.

“Boys,” Bill interrupted, getting their attention to turn to him, “let’s go! School awaits.”

They both got to their feet, ran up the stairs to grab some socks, came back down, and threw on their sneakers, all within 3 minutes. Zak opened the front door and bounced to the car while Lee stumbled after him yelling, “Come on, Dad! Let’s go!”

Bill shook his head and tied his own shoes, snatched his keys off the kitchen table, and he slipped his cell phone in his pocket. Somehow, it felt heavier today.

~~~

Laura smiled as she shrugged out of her coat and draped it across the back of her desk chair. It felt good to be in her classroom again. She was excited to find out who were students were, but she knew she wouldn’t be meeting too many of them today. After all, it was only registration day. Most teachers were either home mentally preparing for the hard year to come or at the school laying out finishing touches to their classroom. Laura, however, loved to just be in the school. She didn’t think too much of how difficult the year was going to be because in the end, the kids were going to benefit from her hard work. To her, it was all worth it.

She took a deep breath which caused her nose to crinkle. It smelled musty. Making her way over to the windows, Laura opened them up one by one. After opening the last window, she leaned back on her heels and fixed her hands on her hips, satisfied with the work she’d already accomplished. She turned and walked to her bag and boxes, reached in and started to pull out dry erase markers, old bins of colored pencils, normal pencils, markers, glue bottles - all the materials she’d brought every year for her classes. From there, she started to set one bin of each supply onto the nine tables scattered about her classroom. Once finished, she took out her dry erase calendar and stuck it on the wall near the back of the room where the Story Carpet was. For another hour and a half, Laura set up her room until it was finished.

Laura stepped back to admire her classroom and nodded her head. In triumph, she threw her hands up in the air with a small, “Yes!”

Suddenly, her stomach rumbled and Laura instinctively brought her hands to her body in an attempt to quiet the noise.

 _Lunch! Sandra wanted to have lunch with me, didn’t she?_ Laura thought.

Fumbling in her purse for her cell phone, Laura found herself thinking about Bill again and her search ceased, _how do you forget your phone?_ Laura giggled. She couldn’t imagine being without hers. She resumed her search and found it tucked inside a pocket. She dialed Sandra’s number and waited for her to pick up.

_“Laura?”_

“Hey, Sandra!”

Sandra squeaked on the other end of the line and Laura’s smile grew larger and brighter at her sister’s excitement.

_“I’m so happy you called! What’s up?”_

“Well, you said that you wanted to have lunch soon, and I’m starving so-”

_“It’s registration day today at the school today, isn’t it?”_

“How did you-?”

_“Laura, don’t even say anything more. Have you eaten at all today?”_

Laura tried to say something in response, but Sandra continued to talk before she had the chance.

_“Nevermind. You know that one place you always eat at? The Tauron cuisine place?”_

“Yes, but-”

_“I’ll be there in twenty minutes with Jackson. I love you!”_

“I love you too?”

And then the line was dead. Laura took the phone away from her ear and checked to see if the call had in fact been terminated, and then laughed, placing her phone back in her purse before shouldering it and opening the door out to the hallway. She began to walk toward the front desk when she heard two familiar voices call out her name. She looked around the corner, and sure enough, there was Lee, little Zak, and Bill Adama.

_Oh. My. Gods._

~~~

The first thing Bill noticed when he walked into the school with the boys was the big banner with the word ‘registration’ in big capital letters above what he assumed was the front desk. Behind the desk was an older woman who greeted him with a big smile. He returned the gesture hoping his boys were doing the same.

“What can I do for you?” the woman asked.

Bill motioned down toward Lee, “This one is going into 2nd grade this year.” He then turned to Zak, “This little man is turning 5, when, Zak?”

Zak perked up at the sound of his name, “3 months!”

Bill glanced at the woman’s nameplate that stood on the edge of the desk, ‘Elosha’.

Elosha joined in on the conversation with a cheery voice, “Well Zak, we will be seeing you next year, then! Whereas, you, young man-”

“Lee!” Lee supplied a bit too quickly.

“Lee, we’ll be seeing you next week!” she focused on Bill once more and handed him a clipboard which had a pen and a few forms on it, “Fill these out, hand them back to me, and I’ll be able to tell you who your son’s teacher and classroom number will be.”

Bill looked up from the clipboard to Elosha with disbelief written all over his face, “So soon?”

Elosha shrugged her shoulders, “There are only two second grade teachers here.”

Bill nodded and walked over to a bench near the desk. Lee and Zak followed him, plopping down on either side of him as he filled out the paperwork.

Bill couldn’t help but wonder if Laura’s school was having registration day today as well. He shook his head and finished up the first pages easily. He signed the bottoms of the papers and found the school supply list as the last page. It was separated by grade level. When he looked at the cost of the second grade supplies, Bill had to do a double take. It was so cheap compared to the others.

_These teachers must buy their own supplies. Why don’t they charge for it?_

Once he completed all the necessary forms, he went back up to Elosha and handed them to her. After paying fees, Bill exhaled.

_This was a lot quicker than I thought it was going to be._

Elosha piled all the paper into a single folder and slid it in a locked drawer and began to type on the computer. A few clicks later, she looked down at Lee, and asked, “Are you ready to find out who your second grade teacher is?”

Lee nodded enthusiastically as he always does.

“You have Ms. Roslin! I guarantee you’re going to love her class!” Elosha looked to Bill and added, “She’s even here today. She loves to get her classroom prepared ahead of time - are you alright, Mr. Adama?”

_Out of all the schools we could’ve gone to…_

He snapped out of his thoughts, “Yeah, it’s just-”

“LAURA!”

The two boys were looking at something turning the corner into the room, and Bill held his breath.

_Laura._

~~~

Before Laura could fully process what was happening, two sets of arms were wrapped around her legs, and her focus was on the man in front of her.

_Bill._

“Laura, Laura! I’m in your class this year!” Lee barely got out.

Laura squatted down to meet the boy’s eyes as he and his brother released their grip on her legs and held her finger to her lips, “That’s really great, Lee, but we’re inside right now. We have to use our inside voices.” She flashed him a genuine smile and Lee held his own finger to his lips, “Shh. Quiet. Okay. I can do that.”

“Hi, Lee!” Laura greeted him in her “inside-voice”.

He attempted to mimic her tone as he said, “Hi, Laura!”

“Ms. Roslin,” Zak interrupted, looking at Lee and lowering his voice, “When you’re out at schwool, you have to call her ‘Ms. Roslin.’”

Laura shifted her attention to Zak, “Very good, Zak. How are you?”

Lee accepted the correction much more gracefully than Laura had expected, and she could hear him whispering to himself, ‘Ms. Roslin, Ms. Roslin, Ms. Roslin’ as if trying to break a bad habit and replace it with a good one.

“I’m good. A wot better now that I see you.”

They all smiled, and Laura replied, “I’m a lot better now that I got to see you two, too.”

Again, she looked at Lee, “I’m so happy to have you in my class this year, Lee! Are you excited?”

Lee nodded with so much force, Laura was afraid he was going to hurt himself. She settled her hands on his shoulders to steady him, “Good! I’m going to talk to your father now, okay?”

The two nodded and followed her to their father.

“Long time, no _talk_ ,” Laura began.

Out of the corner of her eye, Laura can see Elosha clicking on the keyboard in a sad attempt to seem like she _wasn’t_ eavesdropping. Laura was _not_ looking forward to explaining this to her later.

“I’m sorry. I really am. I just-”

He was getting flustered, and it was just so _adorable!_ Laura couldn’t help but giggle.

“I’m kidding… A little bit,” Laura said through upturned lips.

He rubbed the back of his neck nervously, “Maybe I can make it up to you? I could take you out to lunch or dinner or coffee? I don’t know what you prefer. I can get a babysitter for the boys.”

That grin that never leaves her face was there again, and Laura realized that she really wanted to see this through.

“I’m actually going out to lunch with my sister and her son right now, but maybe tomorrow we can grab some coffee?”

Bill had a toothy grin on his face as he replied, “Sounds perfect. 10 AM sound alright? I can pick you up.”

“Perfect. But,” Laura smirked, “you have to actually call me if you want to find out my address.”

Bill held up his finger and took something out of his pocket - his phone, and then, from heart, dialed a phone number. Her purse buzzed, and Laura’s smirk widened as she pulled her cell out.

_He memorized my phone number?_

Playing along, Laura answered the call, looking straight into Bill’s eyes, “Hello?”

“Hello, this is Bill Adama - the guy with two sons who you helped and then gave your number to, but then he kinda messed up and never called you. You think you can give me another chance and give me your address so I can take you out?”

His blue eyes shone with hope, and Laura could feel her lips turning even farther upward than they’d be before.

“Well, Mr. Adama. I think I might have to take you up on your offer - as long as you’re paying.”

Bill looked as if she’d struck him, “Laura Roslin. I am a proper gentleman. I will definitely be paying.”

The boys, after getting bored of the two adults conversing, had started up a conversation with Elosha, and taking the hint, Elosha had kept it going.

The two adults hung up the phones, and Laura found a pen and paper to write down her address. Bill was about to take the paper when Laura pulled it back, “You _are_ going to come to my house, right?”

Bill chuckled, “Yes. Yes, I will. 10 AM sharp. I won’t be late.”

Hesitantly, Laura handed him her address.

“I have to go now. I’m definitely going to be late for my lunch with my sister now.”

Bill nodded understandingly and called his two boys over.

Laura squatted down once more, “I have to go now. It was so nice to see you both again.”

She hugged the two, and then stood up again.

“It was nice to see you too, Laura!” they both replied waving at Laura with tiny, toothy grins they definitely got from their father.

Looking at Bill, Laura gave him a small smile, “I will see you, tomorrow.”

Bill returned her smile and nodded, “It was wonderful to see you today.”

Laura blushed a bit, but attempted to be nonchalant, “You too, Bill.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am SO INCREDIBLY SORRY for the hella slow updates. I just started school, and homework takes up a lot more time than I thought it would. I'm going to try my best to post as often as possible, but just know that they probably aren't going to be very frequent.
> 
> However, the next chapter is going to include Laura's sister prodding for more information on the reason for her tardiness to their lunch, Saul Tigh is going to come over for a drink at Bill's house, and Laura and Bill will go on their long awaited... date?

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you all are enjoying this so far! It might be a while until the next update because I want to try to finish multiple chapters to have more frequent updates... did that make sense? No? I'm sorry lol! Hopefully it won't have to make sense. Why am I talking? I don't know either haha! Oh, and I'm so sorry if my writing isn't up to par. I haven't written in a while, and it's my first Rodama fanfic, so cut me some slack.
> 
> Oooh! Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters in this fic, believe me, there would've been more Rodama heavy episodes and moments if I owned them.


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